Success in B-17 revolves around taking care of and learning from
your crew. Take time to notice how the computer-controlled gunners aim
for the fast moving fighters and try to learn from their techniques.
When you are being attacked, use 'Z' and 'X' to change to an enemy
fighter, then SHIFT-F1 to see the battle from the fighter pilot's view.
Take care of your engines:
Make regular checks on the outside view to check your engines; if your
co-pilot has been hit you don't get any warning. Fuel leaks can be
critical to the success of a mission. If necessary you need to turn off
an engine or two and drop out of formation to conserve fuel. If your
engines are on fire point the nose at the ground and try diving at
between 350-400 mph - this is useful in later levels when one fire
extinguisher per engine isn't enough.
A healthy crew is a happy crew:
Make regular checks to ensure the crew is OK and that the guns aren't
jammed - it's easy to miss messages in the heat of combat. Keep at
least one pilot healthy because the plane can end up in a spin if it's
in a turn when the pilot is hit, giving little time to bail out.
Make the radio operator send a MayDay message to improve your chances
of survival when you're bailing out over the channel. Landing an
engineless, bullet-ridden, flame-scorched B-17 after a mission is risky
and difficult. Bail out over the channel to ensure mission success.
Before landing, attempt to heal injured crew otherwise they are
hospitalised. Having more than one crew member peform first aid on a
casualty increases the chances of success.
